Image via Complex Original
Games are best when they’re doing something interesting or imaginative, and this week’s haul offers some pretty strong contenders in that regard. Enjoy!
Metal Gear Rising (Demo)
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Price: Free
Platinum's Not-Hideo-Kojima crazy Metal Gear spinoff starring everyone's favorite cyborg ninja is hitting store shelves soon, and while this demo is obviously just a taste it's a good barometer for the kind of cut-at-will gameplay to expect. Manually controlling the aim of Raiden's slice is smooth and satisfying-not that we'd expect anything less from the studio behind Vanquish and Bayonetta. We're sure there's more Kojima-esque surprises waiting in the wings, but for now, enjoy this.
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
Platform: iOS
Price: $5
A port of the DS title of the same name, Clash of Heroes turns the really old school trappings of this long running turn-based strategy series into a much less common combo of match-three puzzling, strategy and RPG elements (differing from Puzzle Quest in that its actual characters give it more grounding than a grid of Columns pieces). Plus there's the HD remastering and asynchronous multiplayer.
Dust 514 (Open Beta)
Platform: PS3
Price: Free
This weirdly ambitious free-to-play FPS (first person shooter) hybrid works as part of the larger EVE Online universe-basically you can play a mercenary for one of the corporations that players control on a macrolevel in EVE, fighting in planetside sci-fi battles that will in turn have a direct influence on the larger scope of events in Dust's fully-fledged MMO brother. Pretty crazy.
The Cave
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Price: $15
What do you need to know about The Cave? It's the new game from Monkey Island alums Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer. It poses the questions like, "What happens to bad people when their wishes are granted?". Whether or not it's all a clever allusion to Plato's own cave-related allegory? Jury's still out on that one.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Platform: PS3
Price: $55
Though we usually discourage listing downloadables that cost as much as a console release (which Ni No Kuni is as well), we're going to make an exception for this gorgeously crafted RPG (role playing game) from Level-5 and Spirited Away animators Studio Ghibli. Aside from the sheer artistry you're getting (aside from beautiful Ghibli cutscenes, longtime composer Joe Hisaishi composed Ni No Kuni's soundtrack), the game has the drawn-out, epic scope of Dragon Quest with a thematically studio-appropriate story about a boy trying to cope with the death of his mother. Just make sure you've got the space on your hard drive, because it takes up a whopping 21 gigs.
